Life's First
by feshnie
Summary: Ed, a yaoi fan, is being chased by a crazy bomber, Kimberly. It is up to Roy and the gang to protect him. AU, OOC, slash, eventual RoyEd. Don't like, don't read
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters

Warning: AU, OOC and eventual slash

Summary: Edward, a yaoi fan, is being chased by a crazy bomber, Kimberly. It is up to Roy and the gang to protect him.

Pairing: Eventual RoyEd, AlWin

Life's First

Feshnie

Prologue

Edward stared uninterestedly at the homework before him, jotting down the correct answer with half a mind. He looked longingly at the closed laptop beside him and yearned to use it. His fingers itched to press the smooth buttons of the keyboard.

"Brother, are you done?"

He looked up sorrowfully at his younger brother, Alphonse. The question went unanswered but Al understood.

"If you'd finish your homework, I'll give you the password," the younger boy answered, placing a plate of cookies before his brother. Ed sighed, sounding extremely disappointed. He gripped his pencil and continued answering the questions.

Edward Elric, 15 years old and still the shortest boy in class, was a boy with golden hair that reached a little below his shoulder and long bangs with strands of hair poking out in the middle of his bangs. Tan skinned and golden eyed, he appeared a little foreign to be in Japan but he didn't mind that. Quite a brainy, he was an expert in science and his skills in hand to hand combat was quite impressive, especially since he had never really received any kind of training.

What was weird about this small teen was his obsession over yaoi fan fictions. He would have been a normal good-looking boy with a temper that could match had it not been for a childhood friend of his, named Winry, who introduced him to the perverted media. Alphonse, who wasn't brain-washed by Winry because he was her boyfriend, often, helped him slightly by keeping yaoi fan fictions and their goods away.

Twenty minutes later, half the plate of cookies finished, Ed stretched and sighed happily.

"Al, I finished doing it!" he practically shouted it, opening the laptop and turning it on. Alphonse, who was reading a book in front of him, looked up and sighed.

"Its detritus," sighed Alphonse, returning back to his reading.

"Why'd you put that of all names?" he asked the younger boy, typing the word hurriedly and lighting up when the password was accepted.

Alphonse lowered his head and smiled. It had been such a nice thing to see his brother happy like this. Two years ago felt like nightmare compared to how they were now.

They had led a very physically and emotionally strained life before, especially his brother. After their mother died, about 8 years ago, the both of them had nowhere to go. Their father was unable to be contacted so they were moved into an orphanage. They stayed for a year at the orphanage before a newly-wed adopted the both of them. It was a heavenly three months with their foster parents before the spouse got killed by a group called the Homunculus. Ed had been the witness to the killing so it was most traumatic for him.

They were returned to the orphanage and lived there for a good two years before a lunatic bomber named Kimberly bombed half the orphanage to ashes but they both survived. During the accident, Ed had been the one nearly made the bomb had he not fought and escaped the man's clutches.

Because of Ed, who had informed everyone of the infamous bomber, was the cause to the small number of casualties. Kimberly was, put softly, enraged by the amount of injuries and chased after Ed with the promise of Ed being his next bomb. It had been a very stressful chase because his brother had to witness a lot of deaths made by Kimberly to get to him. It was only two years later that Kimberly was caught and sentenced to death.

He didn't know if his brother had nightmares because Ed always acted tough in front of him. He wasn't always there when the lunatic bomber harassed his brother but it was enough to make him throw out nearly his entire stomach. His brother always protected him, tried to keep him from seeing the horrible sights that he saw. He cared more for the well being of Al, always standing up for him, always encouraging him to do what he liked and tried so hard to just keep him happy and peaceful. He did usually hear tales about his brother's endearing escapes by their current guardian, Maes Hughes.

Alphonse returned back to the present when he heard his brother let out a chuckle at something he read on the internet.

At least there was life behind those eyes that had dulled years ago.


	2. First Meeting

Disclaimer: I'm as unlucky as everyone

Warning: AU, OOC and eventual slash

Summary: Edward, a yaoi fan, is being chased by a crazy bomber, Kimberly. It is up to Roy and the gang to protect him.

Pairing: Eventual RoyEd, AlWin

Life's First

Feshnie

Chapter 1: First Meeting

Edward woke up to the smell of pancakes and fried eggs. He could hear a little commotion in the hallway and stared blearily at the open door, seeing a small girl tottering into his room followed by a worried looking Al.

"Morning, Ed-nii-san!" laughed the girl, tugging on his blanket.

"What is it?" asked Ed hoarsely, glancing at the clock. It was an hour and a half before he was late for school.

"Sorry, brother," apologized Al, picking up the girl. "Elysia wanted to wake you up, I guess."

"Geez…" muttered the boy with long hair, picking himself up from the comforts of his bed. "Morning Elysia. I'm up already."

"Yay! Wakey, wakey, Ed-nii-san!" chortled the girl, clapping her hands. Al sent him an apologetic look and hurried out the room, promising the girl to bring something for her after they came back from school.

Ed slumped back onto bed and rolled till he reached the edge of his bed. With a final heave, he fell from his bed, blankets twisting around him. He wiggled out and folded his blankets clumsily.

A sudden pain was felt from his right arm. He ignored it and continued preparing for school, using his left arm only. He was used to it since the pain came and left for over three years. The same went for his left leg but even if it hurt, he would act neutral and use it.

30 minutes later found Ed walking down the stairs, his school bag clutched under his armpit and hair pulled back in a braid.

"Good morning Gracia-san," greeted Ed, sitting down at the table. The motherly woman placed a plate of pancakes in front of him, all the while a soft smile on her lips.

"Good morning, Ed. How was your sleep?" asked Gracia, continuing her work at the kitchen.

"It's okay," replied Ed, already stuffing some of the pancake into his mouth. "Where's Al?"

"He's playing with Elysia outside. Winry said she'd be coming so he's waiting for her."

"I see…" mumbled Ed, staring out the kitchen window. "By the way, Gracia-san, I think I'm going to come home a bit late. I need to get my hand checked again."

"Alright," replied the lady. "I'll leave your dinner in the fridge."

"Thanks."

…

School had been quite uneventful for Ed other than the fact that Winry had 'showed' him a few websites that had the best yaoi fan fictions; although the news about a student's attempt on suicide had him a little disturbed.

"Brother, if you like yaoi all that much, does that mean you're homosexual?" Al asked innocently as they walked out of school. Ed stared at him as Winry full-heartedly laughed, clutching on her boyfriend's arm.

"No," he answered bluntly, glaring at the long-haired girl for laughing at him. "I'm happy to live in reality, okay? Those things are just entertaining fictions. Real life works tougher than what fangirls think."

"Hey! I'm offended!" shouted Winry, trying to swat Ed from behind Al. The short teen blocked her hand with his bag.

"Why should you be? You never wrote any damn story," retorted Ed, smirking as the blue-eyed girl glared at him. "Al, you should be careful with her. She might be imagining you making out with another guy."

Al blushed a deep scarlet, spluttering nonsense about Winry being too innocent and that there was no one else Winry could pair him up with. The latter made Winry blush as she guiltily scratched her cheeks, eyeing Ed oddly.

"You hentai-onna!" screamed Ed, realizing what Winry was thinking about. "Get your head out of the incest gutter!"

"But you're so suitable to become uke," she muttered, diverting her eyes from the two brothers. "And I was already planning on making an incest fic with you two as the character."**(1)**

"Winry!" Al shouted, horrified that his own girlfriend thought of such things.

"Who are you calling is so small that he'd be the one under?!" screamed Ed, veins popping on his forehead.

"But I happen to like incest very much," sighed Winry.

"You fangirls are so hard to understand," muttered Ed irritably, stopping in his tracks. "You two head home first, I need to have my arm checked."

"What? Why didn't you tell me it hurt again?" asked Al, worried etched in his voice.

"It's just nothing," said Ed, waving his left hand. "Take care of yourself, you two."

"Don't be so long," said Al, still worried. Winry waved goodbye and Ed turned and left.

…

The check-up didn't take long but he was given aspirin which he knew would end up in the wastebasket. He never really believed in painkillers. Now he was in the cyber café, searching for an assignment for school. He didn't like to read fan fictions in public because he didn't like the way there were people around him and noises of people playing online games.

He looked at his watch. It was quite late but he needed to find the information needed. He just hoped no one stayed up to wait for him.

A sudden sound of a chair next to him being pulled made him look up, golden eyes locking with beetle black.

He grimaced; annoyed that someone had chosen the computer next to him. He was even more annoyed when the man's cell phone rang.

"Hello, Roy speaking," said the man, sitting down on his chair. Ed returned back to searching. "Oh, Maes. What's up?"

Hearing the name, he looked up. It wasn't usual to have someone named Maes in Japan so he was worried his guardian might have called this person to search for him. Maes did say he had a lot of friends and he did seem that kind of person.

"Who's missing?" asked Roy, looking deep in concentration. Ed's breath stuck in his lungs as he waited for the person to continue. "What does he look like?... I see… that shouldn't be usual here. He should stand out."

"Mister!" Ed shouted, standing up. _This is such a coincidence that it seems so surreal_, he thought. "Mister, could you by any chance be talking to Maes Hughes? I'm Edward, Edward Elric."

"Maes, I think I found him," replied Roy. "I'll send him back in a while, okay? Don't get your panties in a bunch."

"Please let me talk to him," said Ed, extending his hand. Roy looked at it for a while before dropping his mobile phone into the boy's palm. "Hello? Maes-san, it's me, Ed. I'm in a cyber café. I'm searching for some stuff to present to school tomorrow. I'll be a little late… okay a lot late but you've got to understand… yes… yes… okay… I think I'm fine by myself… I get it! I get it! Fine, sheesh…"

With a tired sigh, he handed the phone to the man back. He slumped into his chair and rubbed his temple, feeling suddenly drained. He looked at the man when he heard the phone snap shut to its original form.

"How much longer are you going to surf the web?" asked the man, a hint of smirk on his lips.

"I'm nearly done," Ed answered, averting his eyes from the man and continued to do his work.

He could feel the man's eyes boring on him, looking him up and down but he tried his best to ignore him.

…

He grumpily complied with his guardian's wish; to have him sent home safely by the man he now knew was called Roy Mustang.

He looked out the car window irritably, cursing the man for not trusting him to be able to go home alone. He didn't need to be sent like some kid just because he took time in trying to make his teachers happy.

"Elric-kun." Ed ticked inside, he didn't like to be called so formerly, despite having the prefix '-kun'. He turned, only slightly masking his annoyance. He gave a low, "Hm" to show he was listening and even went so far as to stare at the handsome, pale face. "Your name sounds very familiar. I can't quite put where I've heard your name."

Ed contemplated for a while. He wasn't really popular but he had won a couple of science competitions and he was quite sure he had his face inside a few newspaper and magazines. Al made sure he knew because of the scrapbook he kept. Besides, he was quite good with sports and his name might've popped a few times in sport magazines.

"You might've read my name in the newspaper," replied Ed and the man cast a short glance at him. "I've won a lot of science competitions lately."

"I see," murmured Roy, smirking as he turned the steering wheel to the left.

"It's true," he barked, gritting his teeth in agitation at the man's smirk. Ed felt quite angry at the smirk, thinking the man didn't believe him.

"I didn't say it wasn't," replied the dark-haired man, his smirk still not leaving his face as they entered the driveway of the Hughes house.

Ed was seething, feeling as if he was being played for an idiot.

With a quick mumble of "thank you" Ed ran inside the house, giving Gracia a small "I'm back" before he sped to the room he shared with Al. Al was sitting next to the window with a book clasped in his hand but he wasn't reading, instead, he had taken to staring at their backyard through their window. He turned sharply when he heard someone enter.

"Brother, where were you?" asked Al, standing up as Ed collapsed onto his bed, face-down. "I was worried sick. I thought something bad happened to you. You could've at least called home."

"I'm sorry, Al," he apologized, his head turned away from his brother so that he didn't have to see the fear in his brother's face. "I was too worked up in finishing my assignment that I was careless about time."

"You could've finished it at home," stated Al, his voice growing more panicky and sounded on the edge of crying. "That was why Maes-san had bought us that laptop and fixed the internet."

"You know I can't work at home," mumbled Ed, feeling guiltier. He sat up and forced himself to look Al in the eye. "I'd be too worked up on reading fan fictions to get any job done."

"You idiot," said Al, finally breaking down with a small tear falling onto his flushed cheeks. Ed stood up and padded towards his younger brother, patting his head.

"I'll try not to do it again."

…

He took a little of over ten minutes to calm Al and told him to sleep. It wasn't the first time Al panicked like that and there were times when it was worse. Al was scared of losing him as much as he was to losing Al because they were together since they were small and couldn't picture one without the other.

It was usually most worrying on Ed's part because of his past. He kept strong for Al, tried his best not to break down in front of Al. He would rather take his own life than have Al live miserably. Many would say Ed already did so much for Al, protecting the boy, helping him go through life and even went so far as to sacrifice his right hand and left leg to save Al's life three years ago.

"Stop worrying," mumbled Ed to no one in particular as he walked down the stairs in search of his dinner. He untied his braid and combed his hand through the blonde mass, straightening his hair.

"Are you allowed to keep long hair?" a sudden question barely registered in his brain before he spotted the annoying man that had brought him home sitting at the table.

"You!" he shrieked, an accusing finger pointed at the innocent man. "What are you doing here?!"

"Gracia-san offered me a cup of tea," answered Roy, pointing to the cup before him. "It tastes nice. Would you like some?"

"No, leave me alone," grumbled Ed, feeling his mood going down at the sight of Roy.

"You haven't answered my question, Elric-kun," said Roy, in a slightly sing-song voice. "Are you allowed to keep long hair?"

"No, but I get good grades and kick-ass in field so I threatened the headmaster to let me keep it if he wanted me to continue giving the school a good name," answered Ed half-heartedly, rummaging through the fridge and finally spotted his frozen dinner. "Happy?"

"Hm…"

The blonde turned sharply to see the man smirking again. He felt rage boil inside him once more. He couldn't understand it but this man made him feel so annoyed at the knowing smirk that always played on his face. How he wished he could slap that smirk gone.

"You're taking good care of it."

"Huh?" the remark took Ed a little by surprise until he realized Roy was talking about his hair. "Of course, it's my hair."

"Are they naturally that color?" asked Roy, seeming interested, the smirk still on his lips.

"What? Of course they're naturally blonde!" shouted Ed, forcefully throwing his plate of dinner into the microwave oven. "Why would I color my hair?"

"I see," was Roy's short reply.

"You're one of those people who thinks blondes are idiots, aren't you?" accused Ed, seething inside once more. "That's why you didn't believe me when I said I won science competitions."

"I didn't say anything like that," said Roy. Ed was raging inside, so he took out his heated dinner and quickly went to his room, not glancing to see the man. For all he cared, he wished life wouldn't let their paths cross anymore.

TBC…

---

(1) Winry was referring to writing a story that's not based on any other stories but a yaoi one. Incest…

R&R please!


	3. First Tantrum

Chapter 2: First Tantrum

He didn't like evening practice. Scratch that. He completely despised evening practices with the team but he came, just for the sake of seeing how much the team had improved. It was quite tiring since he was active in three different sports and regularly helped in others. It was fun when they were in a match but the fun died away when practice came.

He hated practice sessions. They only did the routines repeatedly and he was bored of it. It was a good thing he had an understanding coach. Understanding being that she had given up on him when he rebelled against having to do the boring routines.

"Sensei, I want to go home," he whined at the woman with dreadlocks.

"After practice, shorty," said the woman sharply, urging the other players to keep on running.

"But practice is so~ boring," Ed continued to whine, ignoring the nickname. It was only with her that he let the name slide. She was too much of a devil without him having to ignite her wrath. Speaking of wrath, she had even named her son Wrath, which was quite freaky.

"Endure it," she muttered before yelling curses at a small boy who had tripped over a rock and dropped a box of balls.

Ed sighed tiredly, giving up on trying to get her to listen to him, and looked around. That was when he saw him. _Him_. The person he wished he didn't have to see in a thousand more years; Roy Mustang. What was more, the man had the guts to wave at him.

"Sensei, please excuse me for a while," he said without looking at her. She mumbled something but he failed to let it register in his mind. He felt slightly aggravated when the man smiled innocently as he approached.

"What are you doing here, bastard?" was the first thing that escaped his lips as he glared at the older man.

"I don't recall ever offending you, Elric-kun," said Roy, his smile still there.

"I asked you: What are you doing here?" repeated Ed, gripping onto the green net that was separating them. "I don't remember the school letting outsiders to watch our training session."

"I'm an exception," laughed Roy. The raged blonde didn't find it amusing though.

"It's not funny, bastard," grumbled Ed.

"Shorty! Stop talking to your boyfriend and get your ass here!" yelled Izumi from across the field. Edward blushed when he saw a few girls a little away from him giggle. He went even redder when Winry sent him a knowing look from the tennis court.

"That bastard of a sensei!" he hissed, glaring at Roy for one last time before he stomped like a Godzilla to his coach.

…

Al wasn't amused when he heard the tale of Ed's 'boyfriend' from Winry. He immediately told so as they started for home.

"I thought you said you weren't homosexual," Al said bluntly, sending him a weird look.

"He isn't my boyfriend! I have none!" shouted Ed, stomping his feet childishly, a vein popping on his forehead. "It's that baka of a sensei! _She_ dubbed _him_ my boyfriend! I don't even want that idiot of a bastard to be my boyfriend if I ever wanted one, which I don't!"

"But he looks so handsome," Winry cut in, a finger pressed onto her chin thoughtfully.

"As handsome as dung!" shrieked Ed, feeling agitated that Al of all people was questioning his sexual interest. "You can have him for all I care! That bastard isn't even in my interest. Cocky, good-for-nothing bastard with a fucking ugly smile."

"I hope that person isn't me," a familiar voice spoke from outside the school gate. Ed turned sharply at the man he found annoying and could practically feel Winry's excitement at being able to show Al who Ed's 'boyfriend' was.

The blonde seethed as he stomped to the person he had been cursing the entire evening and took hold of his collar, bringing him down. "What the FUCK do you want with me?"

"Come now, I think I helped you last night," said Roy with an offhanded posture. "Maes was so worried his little tensai was hurt so I brought you back for him."

"WHO are you calling is so LITTLE that he'd need to be watched over ALL the time?!" yelled Ed, still clutching the man's collar.

"I didn't say that much," said Roy thoughtfully as Ed released his death grip onto the rich fabric. He brushed himself and finally spotted Al and Winry. "Hello, you must be Alphonse Elric. It's nice to meet you!"

Roy brushed past without a second glance and managed to make Ed more frustrated and boiling. He shook Al's hand vigorously, recapping how he had met Ed the night before. The older of the two siblings watched horrifically as Roy exaggerated about the part where he asked for the mobile phone. The man then turned to Winry. "And who might you be, miss?"

"W – Winry Rockbell," stuttered Winry, blushing furiously when Roy was about to kiss her hand. He was about to but Ed had finally gotten out of his shocked rage and pulled him by his jacket so that Roy was once again facing him.

"What are you DOING here?!" yelled Ed, tugging on the collar again so that they were on the same level.

"I was going to send you home," said Roy, his voice low. "By Maes's request."

"No, thanks; we can go back by ourselves," replied Ed, equally low and more threatening. He released the collar but then the man took hold of his wrist.

"Wait, please read this first," said Roy, offering his mobile phone to Ed. The teen took it and skimmed through the contents of the SMS and turned a little pale. "Do you want me to read it out loud?"

"No need!" Ed said, albeit too hurriedly. Al narrowed his eyes, watching his brother fidget as he handed back the phone. "Al, we're going back home with Mustang-san."

"Just call me Roy," said the man, opening the door of his car. Ed entered glumly, losing all his rage and seemed quite stressful. Winry and Al got into the rear and so Roy drove them back, dropping Winry first.

Al felt something churn in his stomach because he had, by chance, gotten a glimpse of his brother from the rear-view mirror and unconsciously held his breathe.

His brother's eyes had slightly reverted back to the dullness of two years ago.

…

His room was dark with the lights switched off and the curtains drawn. Soft breathing from the bed next to him told him that his brother was asleep. He couldn't sleep though. Not after reading the message that Maes-san sent to Roy. Although short, it made him really weak in the knees and made his stomach clench.

_-Look out 4 Ed. Kimberly's still alive n on da loose. Don't know how. Still investigating-_

He shut his eyes and breathed deeply, letting the memories surfacing back. No wonder Roy was there at practice and offered to take them home. He figured he'd probably see him a lot in the future.

Roy was actually still there. He slept in the guest room because Maes-san had yet to return from work and they were on high alert for anything unusual. He hadn't dared meet eyes with the man ever since they got back.

Ed sat up, realizing he shouldn't be near Al for fear that he might receive a nightmare and so padded silently downstairs and into the living room. He was rather shocked to find Roy sleeping on the armchair with a book in his hands. He lightly woke the man up, closing the book in his hands and placing it back on the bookshelf.

"Roy-san, wake up," said Ed tiredly, looking anywhere else but at the man. Black eyes blinked for a while before they closed again.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Roy asked him, his voice low.

"I can't. I keep seeing red when I close my eyes," replied Ed, his voice even lower. He was actually very tired but he was scared he might wake up screaming and that would alarm Al. Roy seemed to understand as he sat more straightly. "You shouldn't sleep on the chair. It's bad for your backbone."

"I am aware of that," said Roy, running his hand through his hair. "But you shouldn't stay up so late. I can accompany you until you calm down."

"It's okay," Ed hastily replied, slumping into the sofa. "I'm used to this. I'd much prefer wearing my body out than waking the whole house. You should go to sleep if you're going to protect me. I wouldn't want a wimp trying to save my ass."

"Don't worry," said Roy, smirking. "There are seven others that will protect you."

"When did you know about me and Kimberly?" asked Ed, tired evident in his voice. He truly wanted to sleep but knew his brain wasn't completely drained enough to prevent him from having the nightmares.

"That day at the cyber café was a set up to get you to return with me. I've known about you for more than 3 years," confessed Roy. Ed wasn't too shocked but he was annoyed that he didn't see through Roy to realize it was too much of a coincidence. "You scared the hell out of us when you disappeared like that."

"When did they know Kimberly was still alive?" asked Ed, his eyes dropping slightly.

"About two days ago," answered Roy, looking at the adolescent in front of him struggle to keep awake. He felt a little sympathetic for the boy but knew he couldn't do anything about it. "Sleep, Elric-kun. I'll wake you if you start mumbling in your sleep."

"Call me Ed," mumbled the blonde, his eyes already closed and shoulders relaxing against the sofa.

Roy didn't bother to reply.

…

Al felt the tension that surrounded his brother yesterday when he was talking to Roy decrease and a new kind of tension had surfaced; a much frightened one. He was curious; in his heart he felt something odd when Ed kept to himself that morning.

"Brother, are you going to go to the library, today?" asked Al, knowing that his brother liked to study there on Saturdays.

Ed paused in the middle of wearing his shirt, seeming to contemplate over something, before he shook his head. Al's confusion and concern mounted higher. His brother always had some kind of explanation or actually uttered something when he asked a question. His brother never actually acted like this since when Kimberly still reigned in the area.

"Brother?" he approached the silent teen, carefully placing a hand on the broad shoulders. Ed flinched and hastily turned, nearly seeming panicky.

"W –What is it?" asked Ed, glancing around him nervously. When he finally focused on his brother, Al was showing such an expression that Ed felt worried. "What's wrong, Al? Are you okay?"

Al felt something churn in his stomach. From far away, Ed looked normal but Al could see from that distance that the golden eyes had a more faraway look and his face was paler. Even his hair was slightly mused and it was a known fact that Ed loved his hair… well, less than his love for Al and yaoi fan fictions.

"Brother…" whispered Al, pulling the smaller body into his chest tightly. "What's wrong? Why won't you tell me?"

"What are you talking about? There's nothing wrong," Ed protested though his voice was soft and apologetic. He felt angry at himself for making Al worried. He seriously didn't mean to but the memories kept resurfacing after he found out about Kimberly. It was quite a miracle that he hadn't given into his memories by then. "I'm sorry. I'm a little out of it with homework and sports. The teachers are pressuring and besides, I'm a little fan fiction deprived now."

"Stop it! Stop protecting me from knowing the truth!" Al cried into his brother's shoulder. "You're always trying to protect me! Do you know it makes me more worried? When that man was still here, I always ever thought of you. We were separated so much just so you can protect me but I don't like that! I'm sick of feeling worried over you and I can't just keep to myself when I know you're in danger!"

Ed kept silent, making himself more comfortable in Al's embrace and lightly placing his hands on the 14 year old's back. He knew Al had more things to say, if the water soaking his shoulder was any indication to that.

"If you keep protecting me from your pain and prevent me from helping you, I'll never be able to grow out of your protective cocoon," sobbed Al, his grip on the older boy tightening. Ed remained silent and took to rubbing the boy's back. He'd let Al speak his heart and keep him in peace even though there was no way he'd tell Al about Kimberly. "If you can help me through my pain, why can't I do the same? I want to return the favor. Please, brother."

"One day…" Ed began after a while. He shut his eyes and pressed his lips to Al's ears to whisper, "One day you'll know but for now… for now support me, Al."

It nearly didn't register in Al's mind when Roy opened the door to call them downstairs for breakfast. He reluctantly let go and wiped his eyes, apologizing to his brother for ruining his shirt.

Roy was staring at Ed after Al left.

"I don't want him to know anything yet," Ed said with a dangerously low voice as he walked past the dark-haired man.

"It might hurt him a lot more if he heard everything from another's mouth," Roy cut in, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ed shrugged it off and continued down the hallway.

…

School was uneventful as usual but at recess he had accidentally walked in on Winry comforting a distressed Al. Since then, he had been avoiding his brother, afraid that if he saw Al, he might give in and tell all about Kimberly's magical reappearance.

Only at the end of the day did they meet back but that was only because they were about to walk home. He hoped Al hadn't noticed that he avoided him. He didn't seem so because they were smiling and laughing and joking as they walked through the gate.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called.

"Roy-san, what are you doing here?" asked Al. Ed's mood dropped slightly. He was very near to forgetting about Kimberly and _he_ had to come and ruin everything.

"I happened to be near so I thought 'why don't I just come and pick you kids up'," replied Roy politely, a charming smile on his lips. "By the way, Ed-kun, I have something interesting I want to show you."

Ed stomped to the car and entered without greeting the owner of the vehicle.

"B – Brother! You shouldn't be so rude to Roy-san," scolded Al, bowing apologetically at the older man. "Please don't mind him."

"Don't worry," laughed Roy, waving his hand to show he didn't mind. "I've seen worse."

Ed seethed in the passengers' seat, both from humiliation at being scolded by someone younger than him and rage at feeling the hint of sarcasm in Roy's words. "Hurry up, will ya'!"


	4. First Moment

Chapter 3: First Moment

After sending Al back home, Roy had taken him out to show him the 'interesting' thing he had mentioned earlier. As they reversed from the driveway, Ed saw Maes-san poke his head from the door and winked at him. Immediately, an unsettling feeling could be felt in his stomach as they drove away.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Ed uncertainly, looking at the handsome face. "Does it have something to do with Kimberly?"

"More or less," answered Roy, the smirk returning to his face when he glanced at the small boy.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked, feeling dread creep up his spine.

"I heard you read fan fictions," Roy said suddenly, diverting the topic. "Yaoi, to be precise."

"Don't change the subject!" the blonde barked although his face flushed, knowing that the man before him knew of his weird interest. "Answer me; where are you taking me?"

"Relax, Ed-kun," said Roy coolly, turning down the road that led outside of the city. "Where we're going is supposed to be a surprise and I had sworn my lips shut."

"I don't care if you sew them shut or whatever!" shouted Ed, panicking as he began to tug on the seatbelt. "Tell me where we are going!"

_/We're going to take you to somewhere with fireworks/_

"Stop the car!" he shouted, tears forming as memories began to cloud his vision. "Stop the car! I don't want to go! Stop it!"

_/You like fireworks right, Ed-kun?/_

He began to hyperventilate, eyes wide and unfocused while sweat began to pour down his face. He could feel the car slowing down but the tears that clouded his vision made him see a blurry form edging closer.

"Don't come near me!" he shouted, as memories began to take over. "Don't hurt me! I didn't do anything!"

He pushed the form away and quickly unbuckled his seat belt, his hand clumsily rummaging for the door handle but the person with him was faster as he pulled him to face the blurry form and slapped him hard on the face.

He slumped on the chair and felt a tear rolling down his pale cheeks. He blinked twice and looked at the person again.

"Roy-san…" he said, breathing haggardly and his left cheek was throbbing painfully.

"Get a grip on yourself," hissed Roy who was also sweating and pale.

"I – I'm sorry," said Ed, a sob escaping him as he leaned heavily on the chair. "I was kidnapped once and ever since then… I don't trust anyone to bring me somewhere that I don't know."

"Doesn't Maes ever bring you to a surprise birthday party or something?" asked Roy, also leaning heavily onto his chair and igniting the car once again.

"Al was there… so I wasn't worried," mumbled Ed, looking out the window as the car started to move again. "I can't be consumed by the memories around him."

The trip continued to be in silence for about ten minutes as both of them regained their composure. Roy knew Ed was feeling drowsy, especially since he had just been traumatized by the memory.

"Ed-kun," he called softly as he spotted an interesting scene. "Look on your left, near that grocery store."

Ed peeked blearily at the placed mentioned and felt his face heat up at the scene.

"That's what you call live yaoi," said Roy with a smirk at the couple that looked like they were devouring each other. Ed turned to him uncertainly, seeing his reaction. Roy noticed so and gave a low chuckle. "I'm neutral. A male colleague of mine has a boyfriend. He's quite proud of it too, always making out in public. Sometimes it gets annoying but you get used to this stuff."

"Understand this; just because I like to read yaoi fan fiction doesn't mean I'm looking for a boyfriend," Ed sternly notified with a serious face. "I'm just currently too busy to find that special girl."

"It's none of my business," Roy said, giving a low chuckle again. "As long as you're happy."

"You don't believe me," accused Ed, scowling darkly. "Even Al doesn't. What's so hard that you won't believe me?"

Roy full-heartedly laughed before he ruffled Ed's nicely made hair.

…

Ed woke up in a mildly dark room with only a single candle as its source of light. A checkered blanket was thrown over him and his braid was undone while his watch, shoes and socks had been removed. Feeling a little panicked, he immediately sat up and scanned the room. His eyes rested on the figure sitting hunched on an armchair.

He let out a relieved sigh and softly called out the person's name. The person instantly woke up and locked eyes with him.

"You're going to be a hunchback by the time you're fifty," joked Ed, tucking a few strands of hair behind his ear. Roy smirked tiredly and stood up.

"I'm going to be a good-looking hunchback than," said Roy, stretching a little before he approached a coat stand and grabbed a jacket that was hung clumsily. "Get up than; we didn't come all the way out here to sleep."

Ed grumbled but inside he was feeling slightly at peace, knowing there was nothing to worry about if Roy was around him. He was trying to straighten the creases on his uniform, which was quite impossible but he tried all the same, when he felt something drop onto his shoulders.

He looked up and was confronted by alluring beetle black eyes. His breath hitched for a while and he had to look away so to not let Roy see the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"It's a bit cold outside," explained the dark-haired man, fixing the jacket that he had dropped on the teen. "You should wear this."

"Thanks," Ed mumbled irritably, not daring himself to say anything more.

If Roy had noticed the flushed cheeks, he didn't say anything as he left through the wooden door.

Ed fixed himself inside the larger jacket and felt angry at how big the jacket was. It nearly seemed like the jacket was making fun of him but he wasn't really sure. It might just be one of Roy's ideas of a funny joke to make him look like a deflated blonde bean.

True to the man's words, it was very cold outside and he hugged himself, running to catch up with Roy. He noticed that they were in a kind of abandoned village.

"Where are we going?" asked Ed as soon as he caught up with the man.

"I told you, it's a secret," answered Roy, leading him through a maze of alleys and roads. After leaving yet another dark alley, Roy stopped and began counting the doors silently before approaching the seventh door along the street.

He confidently wrapped his knuckles on the wooden door in a tune that Ed figured was the password.

The door slowly opened to reveal a beautiful woman with such a serious face that Ed shrunk behind Roy slightly.

"I brought him," said Roy, urging Ed to face the woman. Immediately he was granted excess to enter and Roy pushed him inside.

"He's here already?" asked a man with dark blonde hair and a cigarette between his teeth.

"Welcome Elric-kun!" greeted a man who was just a little taller than him with small black eyes and spiky black hair.

"So this is Edward Elric," a quite plump man with red hair said, a bored look on his face. "I was imagining someone smaller because Colonel was always saying 'the bean' this and 'the bean' that…"

"WHO are you CALLING is so SHORT that he'd be compared to FOOD!" yelled Ed, very sensitive about his height… or lack thereof. The whole room roared with laughter and Ed felt his face flushing as he stomped his feet angrily.

"He's definitely the genuine Elric," said a skinny man with grey hair as he placed a stack of papers on the floor.

"Warrant Officer Watteu Falman!" Ed said in surprise. The man had protected him before about two years ago. The other faces were new though.

"EDWARD~ ELRIC~!!!" a very familiar voice drifted to his ears and he cringed, imagining a broken rib as a muscular man waltzed in full of sparkles. "I missed you so much!"

"Commander Armstrong!" Ed yelled, running for life when the man tried to hug him, tears and sparkles pouring dramatically. "Stop chasing me or else I'm going to sue you for sexual harassment!"

The whole room laughed nervously as Ed kicked the man directly on the face.

"Ed-kun," Roy began, ignoring what had happened before. "From this day onwards, we will make an effort of arresting Kimberly and at the same time protect you from his clutches."

"Pleased to meet you, Elric-san," the serious woman said, offering her hand. Ed took it confidently, shaking it professionally and felt his cheeks burn when a small smile played on her lips. "My name is Riza Hawkeye. First Lieutenant Hawkeye at your service."

"I'm Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc," said the man with the cigarette clamped between his teeth. "I hope you don't mind me smoking kiddo."

"Second Lieutenant Heiman Breda, sir," the man with red hair said, giving a sloppy salute. "I hope you haven't got any pet."

"My name is Cain Fuery," said the man with spiky black hair, his glasses sliding to the edge of his nose as he vigorously shook hands with Ed. "Sergeant Fuery at your service."

"What are you supposed to be?" asked Ed, turning to Roy and glowered when the man smirked and held out his hand.

"Colonel Roy Mustang," said Roy, his calloused hand firmly holding onto the smaller tan one and shook it once. Ed sneered at the smirk and turned to Roy's subordinates.

"Thank you for your time and effort!" Ed shouted and bowed deeply, showing his appreciation. "But I'd like to make a request."

"What is it?" Havoc asked, sitting straighter.

"Whatever happens to me, please don't let my brother know," said Ed, slowly standing straight again. His face was so serious and solemn that the room fell into an uncomfortable silence. He turned to Roy and cast such a hopeful glance that even the man whose hands were stained with blood looked away. "I beg of you."

The last one was added solely for Roy.

"It will be taken into consideration," Roy finally answered, locking his eyes with the golden ones and realized it had continued to dull darker than when he first saw the boy.

"Thank you," Ed breathed out with tired content. Suddenly, he started to fall but Roy caught him easily.

"What's wrong, Ed-kun?" Roy sounded very concerned as he guided the both of them to the floor. "Ed!"

"I'm drained," he wheezed, leaning his temple onto the older man's chest. "Haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Don't scare people like that, chibi," Roy muttered irritably but the smirk could be heard within the words.

"Who you're callin' chibi, old man," mumbled Ed, and added as an afterthought, "wake me up before I scream, k?"

"Will do," replied Roy, his voice low to match the boy's.

And with that, Ed fell to sleep, in the arms of Colonel Roy Mustang.

…

When he woke up, he found himself in the backseat of someone's car and his head was on someone's lap. He began to panic, afraid that he might have gotten kidnapped while he was asleep.

Then he heard a familiar low chuckle and relaxed. A hand was playing with his untied hair. The hand wasn't so big but wasn't too small either so it wasn't a girl's.

"Taisa-san," spoke the person who was playing with his hair. He relaxed a bit to find out it was Fuery he was sleeping on. "I'm not really going to be a lot of help since most I can do is crash light firewalls. I'm still studying but it's hard for me."

"Don't worry your little brain out, love," Havoc's voice cut in, reaching behind to ruffle the boy's black hair. Ed mentally gagged at the sappy name, wondering if Havoc was the male colleague that Roy was speaking about.

"Jean, stop that!" the small man whined, swatting the hand away.

"Second Lieutenant, behave your self," Roy warned. "If you wake Ed-kun, I will personally burn you to ashes and you fully realize that I'm capable of that, do you not?"

He heard Havoc gave a nervous laugh and turn in his seat. Fuery's hand continued to play with his hair again, petting it softly and running it through his finger.

"So, Taisa-san," Fuery tried again, his voice very nervous. "What should I do?"

"Hmm…"

Ed was feeling very comfortable against the lap and found that he was starting to doze back to sleep, especially since someone was playing with his hair. But he strained to keep awake, to hear Roy's response.

"I guess it can't be helped. I'll arrange something with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," answered Roy, his voice precise and clear. Ed nearly smirked, finally seeing the other side of the man. "Before than, you two shall go as scheduled but change positions, understand?"

"But – Taisa!" protested Fuery instantly, his hand pausing. Ed nearly groaned, cursing at Roy. "I'm not confident I can do that!"

"I'm not confident in it too," muttered Havoc. "And I'm supposed to be his boyfriend."

"Second Lieutenant Hawkeye will be there until I've confirmed with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," Roy pressed on as they turned left. Ed accidentally groaned when his head shifted to an uncomfortable position on Fuery's lap because of the turn.

"Elric-san, are you awake already?" Fuery asked, concern lacing his words.

Ed started to sit up, knowing he couldn't pretend any longer, but fell back when his head began to spin. He brought his hand to his head, rubbing his temple and cursed.

"You shouldn't strain yourself, Elric-san," Fuery advised, placing his own palm on Ed's hand. "Your body is also warming up too."

"For God's sake, call me Ed," mumbled the blonde, starting to sit up once again, only slower this time. "People always confuse my brother for me when we use that name. Makes me wander if he really does look smarter than me."

He heard that low chuckle again amidst Havoc's bouts of laughter and Fuery's giggles. Something compelled him to blush slightly, more for the low chuckle rather than the hilarity of his words.

"Please excuse our rudeness, Ed-san," apologized the bespectacled boy, a small blush at his cheek. Ed wondered how this sweet little, he couldn't say much about that but he should say Fuery looked much smaller from faraway, man could get into military.

"It's quite true though," Roy interjected, looking thoughtful, a frown marring his handsome face. "By size and speech."

"WHO are you calling is so SMALL that he has an even SMALLER brain!" shouted Ed, fuming greatly.

"I didn't say that much," said Roy with a sigh as Havoc howled with laughter. Fuery shook his head at his boyfriend.

Ed grumbled and looked out the window. That was when he noticed, they were already arriving in town. The sky was pitching black and the road was quite empty.

"What time is it?" asked Ed to the person next to him, hoping it wasn't so late. Al would probably still be up, waiting for him no matter how late it was.

"Six minutes after ten," answered Fuery, glancing at his watch.

"Roy-san, you're going to send me back home, right?" asked Ed, edging forward so that he could see the person better. When he saw the slight nod, he fell back beside Fuery. "Al is probably still up waiting for me. So, hurry up, old man."

"I suddenly feel the need to stop at a diner and take my time while I buy you all dinner," said Roy.

"What?! Do that after you send me!" yelled the blonde, knowing full well that Roy only said that because he had called him 'old man'. But he wasn't one to give in and not reply at all.

Havoc turned to look at his superior's reaction and widened his eyes when he saw a warm smile faintly playing on the colonel's lips.


	5. First Conclusion

Chapter 4: First Conclusion

He knew Al was up to wait for him but he didn't realize that Al's new found distress made him wait desperately at the driveway. When the car pulled in, Al looked ready to shout then cry but he bit his tongue and asked him, gently, why he was so late and who were the two new faces.

"This is Cain Fuery and Jean Havoc," answered Ed, ignoring the first question. He'd answer Al in private but for now, he'd let Roy and the others leave first. He tried not to look into Al's darker golden eyes but instead turned towards the three men. He gave a curt bow and said, "Thanks for sending me. I'll see you guys later, I guess."

Roy nodded and mounted his car. Havoc followed instantly while Fuery cast a wondering glance at Al before entering the vehicle.

Ed reached for his brother's hands without looking at him and gave it a light squeeze before dropping it and entering the house. Maes-san was standing by the sliding door, looking at the empty driveway.

"Breda will get you to school this Monday. Do you want Al to come with you?" asked his guardian, watching Al close the gate slowly, and his eyes downcast.

"Yeah," said Ed, turning to see Al entering. Al mustered him a small smile and he reciprocated.

The both of them watched in silence as Al made his way up the stairs and disappeared from sight.

"I don't know if they told you this or not but Al won't be watched like before," said Maes with a sigh.

"What?!" shouted Ed, shocked at the statement. When Kimberley reigned before, Warrant Officer Falman was the one who looked after Al. That was how he knew the man. "He'll be in danger!"

"There is a shortage of staff or have you not noticed there are only eight of us," said Maes in a hushed voice. He had a faint feeling that Al was hiding behind the wall and listening. "I shouldn't even be counted in because I'm in the investigation division. I won't even be here that much after this because of Kimberly."

Ed bit his lips. It was a lie if he said he didn't notice that there was only half of the number of people compared to two years ago.

"Roy is filling in the necessary documents to request for Second Lieutenant Maria Ross and Sergeant Brosh," added Maes. Ed looked up at hearing the name and gave a small gasp of realization.

"Second Lieutenant Ross is still alive?" he asked.

About a week before they told him Kimberly was caught, she was shot twice by a man that was chasing Ed. He witnessed the scene but was unable to do anything as someone struck him from behind. He had woken up in the hospital with somber faces and was told Maes-san had been the one who found him. He didn't dare ask what happened to Maria Ross because he was thinking of the worst at that time.

Maes smirked, pushing against the wall.

"Yep, I saw her, a couple of months ago," Maes told him, starting for his bedroom. "She's doing just fine. Said her arm feels better now where the bullet struck her."

Ed sighed with relief, letting his head drop. His untied hair fell around him to curtain his tired face. He felt a little drained from all his emotional flips added with his lack of sleep the other day, he felt compelled to just coil up on the floor and sleep.

"But that still doesn't make it possible to guard Alphonse if he's not with you," Maes added before he disappeared from the living room. Ed didn't have to turn to know his guardian was no longer with him at the room.

"Brother…"

His eyes opened wide, whirling towards the stairway to see Alphonse standing on the last step looking grave.

"Al…"

"What's really going on?" asked Al, avoiding his eyes. "It's weird that Roy-san suddenly appeared and started to take us home for the last two days. He even slept here last night because Maes-san wasn't here. You were so annoyed at him before but then I noticed that you had grown solemn after reading that text message he showed."

He was at a loss of words. He knew he couldn't hide it much longer because Al was very observant. Especially since he was concerned in this.

"Roy-san is from the military, isn't he?" mumbled Al, approaching the silent figure. "I spent the time waiting for you thinking what had happened in the past two days. Wondering what would make the military come back. I kept thinking the worst, you know?"

Al finally looked into his eyes and he found that his feet were glued to the floor.

"I kept thinking that Kimberly had suddenly come back to life."

Ed didn't answer. He couldn't answer. Not after what Al had said.

"It's true, isn't it?" Al pushed on and suddenly a frustrated smile appeared. "You don't know how much I feel like punching you now for keeping this a secret. Do you realize how much relieved I would be if you'd just come out in the open. It hurts to know you don't trust me."

"I – I'm sorry," mumbled Ed, seeing the tear welling in the younger boy's eyes.

"Do you notice how much in danger I would be if you didn't tell me?" Al pressed, his voice getting higher and higher. "I could be out walking in the streets all carefree and in the open for him to kidnap me."

"I – I didn't realize," Ed mumbled.

He was a little shocked though when Al punched him hard on the face but somehow he knew it would come eventually. He stumbled a little but kept on his feet. His cheek stung but he knew Al was hurt more than him. When he looked back at the boy, Al was kneeling on the floor, holding his tears from falling.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, not sure of what to do.

"I know," Al bit back, closing his eyes. "You should be."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that," Al said, standing back again. "Let's go to sleep, brother. It's getting late."

…

Ed didn't get much sleep because Al had a nightmare that night, not a loud one but a nightmare none the less. He woke up to the cries of Al calling his name pitifully. But after comforting the poor boy, he was unable to sleep, the memories coming back with full force.

So he had stayed up and read a few fan fictions till morning. He had a lot of fun though, finally able to open the sites Winry had mentioned.

"Brother?" Al mumbled from under the covers, seeing the blue light from the laptop. "What time is it?"

"It's – it's 4:30 in the morning," mumbled Ed, hoping Al was sleepy enough to miss what he said and continue to sleep. "You can go back to sleep, Al. It's weekend tomorrow."

"You can't sleep?" was Al's response as the sound of clothes rustling filled the room. Ed mentally groaned, feeling responsible for waking Al up. He felt Al's head lean on his crouched back before peaking at the screen and reading some texts. "You're reading something very ero, brother. Doesn't it give you a hard-on?"

"Like what you get when you see Winry without her top?"

"Huh? Um…" Al seemed to be thinking, burying his face deeper into his brother's neck. It took him nearly a minute to get what his brother was implying. "Wha – what? How'd you know?"

"Winry told me," Ed snickered, knowing his brother was blushing furiously. "I can't believe you're such a pervert, Al."

"You – you're one to talk, brother!" Al stuttered, pulling away to poke his brother at a very sensitive spot. Ed shrieked, pulling away hastily to turn to his younger brother.

"You asked for it, Al," he smirked, an evil glint in his eyes.

Al began to regret ever trying to tickle a man whose temper exceeded his height. In a second Ed had Al pinned under him and began mercilessly tickling the boy. Bouts of laughter shook the room as the two brothers fought to tickle each other, rolling to be on top.

"Would you TWO shut UP?!" roared Maes-san from the open door, looking disheveled and tired. "SOME people are actually trying to SLEEP!"

"We're sorry, Maes-san," apologized Al, getting off of his brother. Both were panting and flushed as the irate man left the room.

"Your face is red," commented Ed, giving a hearty laugh. Al blushed even more, smacking his brother's shoulder.

"So is yours."

"Thanks Al," Ed suddenly said, dropping his head onto the broad shoulders.

"For what?"

"Just being here."

"I'm always here."

"Then, continue being here."

"Only if you stop reading that hentai stuff."

"Then I'll learn how to live alone."

"Brother!"

"Just joking! You can never be replaced."

"Then you'd stop reading?"

"No."

"Brother!"

"What? I said you were important. Isn't that enough?"

"I guess so…"

"Great! Now that we've come to the conclusion, I'd like to finish up my reading." Ed said, leaving the comforts of his brother's shoulder. He heard Al whine but ignored him as he sat back in front of the laptop. "Live with it, Al."

…

That afternoon, Roy's sedan came up the driveway while he and Al were washing Maes-san's car. Well, more of spraying each other with water and soap but that was another story. He fumed slightly when he saw the light smirk that was on the colonel's face.

"Maes-san isn't here at the moment. He took Gracia-san and Elysia to the amusement park," Ed barked, coldly. His anger mounted when Roy's smirk widened. "What? Never seen someone wet before?"

"I didn't realize Maes-san was someone who punished teens," said Roy, a hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"He didn't. We're doing this willingly," Ed bit back, looking away from the wandering eyes. "What else do you want? I already told you he's not here."

"I know," Roy replied, stepping closer to him so that he could say in a low voice. "That's why I'm here."

He started slightly, finally realizing the real reason.

"Al already knows," he muttered back, edging away from the man. Roy blinked, his smirk disappearing for a while before Ed saw a small smile grace his lips.

"Good for you!" Roy cheered, giving a cheerful smile to a bewildered Alphonse. "And here I thought you'd keep it to yourself for a while longer."

"I didn't tell him. He figured it out," Ed corrected the man, turning away and continuing his job. Roy gave a low, 'hmm…'

"Do you want me to help?" the black-haired man asked suddenly, already taking off his jacket.

"What?" the Elric brothers said in unison, looking at the man as if he had two horns sprouting out of his forehead. Then, Ed turned to Al and smirked, griping the hose in his hands tighter. Al seemed to get the idea and a smirk grew on his face too.

"You asked for it," yelled Ed, turning the hose on. Roy didn't seem so surprised but he didn't get much time to dodge though as a soapy sponge hit his head courtesy of Al's precise aim.

The next two and a half hours were filled with the three of them trying to soak each other with water, soaps and whatnot. The car was looking quite shiny by the time Roy had tripped on Al and brought down Ed with him. They were laughing hard with soap in their hairs and dripping wet. Neither felt like getting up from lying on the grass. A worried neighbor poked her head over the concrete fence but the Elrics could only smile at their pitiful state.

"Do you think the car is clean enough?" Al asked innocently, one of his legs entwined with his brother's. Ed nodded, unable to form words in his near-hyperventilate state. They lay there for a couple more minutes, panting and occasionally laughing.

"I think we should get up or our shirts will be stained by the dirt," Roy suggested, already sitting up. Al disentangled his leg from his brother's and heaved himself up so that he was now sitting on the grass rather than lying on it.

"Brother, get up," he insisted, poking his brother on his shoulders. "Brother? Brother, wake up. Brother!"

Al shook on the unconscious body; panic began overtaking when Ed didn't answer him. It wasn't usually like this. His brother only needed a slight prod to arouse him from slumber.

"Roy-san!" he yelled, catching the man's attention. "It's brother! He won't wake up and his body is cold!"

The man raced to his side and skidded slightly as he took Ed's cold hand and checked for his pulse. There was a very weak reaction but he felt it. He ripped the sleeveless shirt and checked the older Elric's heartbeat. There was no denying it now, his heartbeat was weak and on the verge of being very critical.

He forced himself to calm down and make a hasty but correct decision. A sudden memory entered his head of something he watched his comrade do. He tilted Ed's head a little higher and urged his mouth to open. While he was doing so, Al took the cool hands into his and began to rub it warm.

He forced air into Ed's lungs using his mouth and pressed a certain amount of pressure onto the naked chest. He repeated the action a few times and listened for any signs of increase in Ed's heartbeat. At the fifth breath, Ed groaned and coughed, turning to his side.

"Brother! Thank god, I was so worried," Al said alongside a sigh of relief, his head bent and his shoulders shaking.

"What happened to me?" Ed asked, rolling onto his back once more. He placed his hand on his cold chest and looked at it, shocked. "Why's my shirt torn?"

"You wouldn't wake up," said Al, dropping the hand that began to warm once more. "So Roy-san performed CPR on you."

"Roy-san?"

Ed felt a little uncomfortable when he saw the tired colonel looking down at him with so much relief as if he had woken up from a coma. He tried to sit up but his head suddenly hurt so he fell back on the ground, cursing all the while.

…

Although Al insisted he visit the clinic, Ed found himself stubbornly refusing. He claimed to be tired from lack of sleep and that the cure was only an evening's nap undisturbed. Al looked like he wanted to retort but he bit his lips and said he'd make sure his brother did so.

That was what landed him in his current problem, going to sleep. The moment he closed his eyes and felt himself being engulfed by sleep, a flash of light and screams woke him. He had turned to Al to see if the boy noticed but sighed in relief when Al continued studying on his bed.

The feeling of water slipping from his eyes made him turn his back onto the boy, willing himself to calm down and forget.

Al looked up when he heard the bed creak and was about to call out for his brother when the bedroom door suddenly opened.

"Al-kun," Roy's low voice rang in Ed's ear as he strained himself to hear. "I have an urgent errand to attend to. Havoc and Fuery are downstairs if you need anything."

"Okay," Al replied just as quietly. "Thank you, Roy-san."

He felt like looking up to see Roy for the last time that day but thought against it when he remembered who else was in the room. The door closed shut with a faint click as he curled himself into a ball.

"Brother?"

He didn't answer.

"Are you already asleep?"

He shut his eyes but found them snapping back open when the memories came back once more. It was impossible for him to sleep at this rate.

"You don't have to force yourself if you can't sleep," Al continued, closing his book and slipping out of his bed. He could see from the shaking shoulders that his brother was still up.

Ed could feel his bed sink where Al sat and felt eyes on him. He turned to stare back at the dark golden eyes, seeing a lot of emotions running behind them.

"Do you think this will revert back to two years ago?" to Ed, the voice sounded distant, a bit scared and sad.

"It can't, I won't be able to go through if it goes like last time," he sighed, looking at the blue painted wall with half-opened eyes. "There might not be anything stopping me from suicide if it repeats."

Al was about to retort when a huge crash emitted from the living room. Ed hastily sat up, trading worried glances as the both of them stepped into the hallway. Sounds of guns being fired erupted. It triggered a lot of memories in Ed's head.

_/Run! Aah!/_

He fell to his knees as the sound of bullets being shot took over his hearing.

_/Ed-kun, run now! I'll hold them back! Now go!/_

"Brother, take a hold of yourself!" Al shouted, taking his brother's arms and slung it over his shoulder and heaved the two of them up. Ed snapped, returning to the present when his knees left the floor.

"I'm sorry, Al."

"We've no time for that!" Al said urgently, looking around them for an escape route.

"Ed-san!" a small voice came from the stairs. "They're striking now! We must get you somewhere safe!"

"Where's Second Lieutenant Havoc?" asked Ed, pulling away from Al to look over the railing of the stairs to scan the living room.

"Ed-san! This is no time to be worried of him! You must leave!" Fuery continued to yell at him urgently.

"How can you be worried of me when your boyfriend is risking his life down there?!" Ed shouted, his hand pointing at the near destroyed living room.

"Trust me, I'm worried but you are our first priority. He knows that too!" Fuery continued to yell, forcefully prying Ed from the railing and towards the end of the hallway where a lone window stood. When he saw Ed about to retort back, he added, "Love cannot interfere with our work. Not after what Colonel Mustang has done to establish this group for the purpose of protecting you. I'm sure no one has told you, Ed-san, but this team's purpose at first was to use you as bait to catch Kimberly regardless of your well-being."

Ed stopped dead, his eyes wide but Fuery continued to pull him, Al followed in tow, his ears straining to catch what the bespectacled man was saying.

"Our superiors don't care if you get killed but by First Lieutenant Hughes's request to Colonel Mustang, we were ordered to protect you without the military's consent," Fuery was looking quite guilty but desperate when he finally brought Ed next to the window. "So please make our job easier, Ed-san."

"But why wouldn't they care for brother?" Al asked, his face a beautiful picture of worry and anger. "Two years ago, they even had us housed in the military dorms."

"Even though there were small number of deaths but the amount of injured soldiers were quite high. They feel that it was too much for one boy."

"But it was all done in the name of catching Kimberly!" shouted the boy in question, punching the wall. "I know I'm bait. Heck, even Kimberly knows I'm bait to lure him but why would they do this now! And I was starting to see light in my life!"

"Please, Ed-san," begged Fuery, his eyes downcast. "Someone I love so much is fighting to keep you alive. I'm trying to do the same so please co-operate."

"I understand," Ed said, feeling so frustrated at him self. "What should I do?"

"We managed to prepare an exit for you," Fuery said, opening the window. Al gasped slightly, looking at the black rope tied from the window seal to the tree on the ground. "But we accidentally did a mistake in installing this device, so you'll have to use this to go down."

Ed looked skeptically at the long cloth in Fuery's hand. He took it and slung one end over the rope before gripping both ends of the material and swung down. He landed on the dirt ground with a soft thud and turned to see Al doing the same thing.

Before Al managed to reach the ground, an object soared through the air and cut the rope. Ed thanked the heavens that he had good reflex and managed to catch Al before he broke his feet.

"Nice reflex, O'chibi."

-----

A/N: Ah…has it already been a year? Wow.


End file.
